Archives for We Got Issues

The world of comic books, like any of our cultural constructs and inspired inventions, experiences change slowly. At the forefront of these changes are visionaries, revolutionaries, and ripples from the larger collective procession of humanity; you can spot them if you’re paying attention. In March of 2012, one appeared on the horizon line, announcing its arrival with a splash page both profound and vulgar. That comic book is Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, and that first page looks like this: Chances are at this point you’re either completely on board or at the very least intrigued. IfRead More

It’s nearly the end of the year, a time normally steeped in sundry traditions, but here in Pop Culture World it’s all about the love/hate relationship with the “Best of the Year” lists. There was a great deal about 2017 that I’d rather not revisit, for the sake of my own sanity and yours, but what was once again spectacular and vibrant was the comic book output from all corners of the medium, so let’s talk about that. Let’s spend a few minutes together and get overly stimulated about this sacred thing from our youth, this ritual booster we participateRead More

The classic grindhouse-style horror thriller is a subgenre in film with an impressive back catalog to pore over, but not so much in the world of comics. Decades before what we consider grindhouse movies were even made, publishers like EC Comics were planting the seeds by releasing titles like Tales From the Crypt, taking heat for cheaply producing sensationalist fiction for the great unwashed masses. Determined to sully everything great in our culture with Puritanical scrutiny, a regulatory Comics Code was soon instituted, all but killing off horror books of this type for a very long time, and allowing superheroesRead More

What follows, dear reader, is one random miscreant’s thoughts regarding the new comic book based on the music and the members of the massively popular thrash metal band SLAYER. Since this unique work of fiction is dangerously straddling two worlds notorious for strong opinions, constant infighting, and misanthropic tendencies, I felt that I should start off with a sort of clarification/mission statement about what you’re about to read, for everyone’s benefit — but mostly for mine. The goal here is to inform and entertain, without getting swatted and then stabbed in the face. Wish me luck! What I’ve got toRead More

This graphic novel, quite simply, is a treatise on belief and magic, delivered through storytelling and torn from history. Bookended by events which transpired during the rise of the internet in the mid-1990s, the meat of this narrative takes place over the course of World War II, when Aleister Crowley conspired with the military intelligence communities in both England and the United States in an effort to stop Adolf Hitler and the Nazis from achieving their goal of world domination. The conceit mirrored throughout is that of the young initiate out of their depth, taking fateful steps into a largerRead More

For most comic book fans, there is little question that the traditions and conventions that came to define Western superhero comics can be traced back to The Golden Age, a period generally considered to have begun with the first appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1 in 1938, and which lasted until (roughly) the early 1950s. During this period, comic books emerged as a developing industry, bolstered and popularized by heroic characters that tapped into the fears, anxieties, hopes, and dreams of a culture. With America still pulling out of the Great Depression and the threat of war looming ever nearer, comicsRead More

A-hoy-hoy, everyone! The dreadnaught of chicanery, Johnny, is back with a brand new comic round-up! In March, I read 197 comics (that’s right, I keep track). Here’s what’s worth mentioning: Once and Future Queen #1 by (W) Adam P. Knave, D.J. Kirkbride (A/CA) Nick Brokenshire from Dark Horse Comics was a pretty solid debut issue from the Amelia Cole team. Another modern sword in the stone story starring a 19-year-old chess prodigy who finds and draws the fabled Excalibur from its resting place. Adventure ensues. Definitely worth checking out. All Time Comics: Crime Destroyer #1 by (W) Josh Bayer, (A) Herb TrimpeRead More

(Created by Jim Zub and Djibril Morissette-Phan. Written by Jim Zub, drawn by Djibril Morissette-Phan, colored by K. Michael Russell and lettered by Marshall Dillon. Published by IMAGE.) GLITTERBOMB explodes at the intersection of character-driven storytelling, body horror, Hollywood expose and feminist revenge tragedy. Boasting well-crafted characters, incisive social commentary, and subject matter that sees it occupying its own unique space within comics, GLITTERBOMB distinguishes itself as one of the most compelling new titles of 2016. Farrah Durante was once a darling of Tinseltown, but that ride was short-lived. After standing up to the wrong people, she quickly found herselfRead More

As Marvel Comics’ cinematic universe continues to fly to more otherworldly places, where every obscure and miniscule character in their oeuvre is if not already on the big or small screen, rumored to be coming soon to a theater, television, or streaming app near you. A lot of what gets lost in this bold new era or CGI, leather biking pants and hammy dialog is the essence of the characters they’re portraying. This is because the true essence of the characters lie in-between the flimsy, 22 page pulp rags that spawned them: comic books. But we’re past all that, aren’tRead More

Welcome True Believers, it’s your ol’ pal Johnny here with another installment of WE GOT ISSUES Cinepunx’s monthly comic round-up! I am currently in the midst of writing my yearly Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide market report so I only had time to write about a few new books that I’m jazzed about this month but rest assured I will have more comics to talk about with all you fabulous freaks next month! Excelsior! Motor Girl #1 (2016) Abstract Studios, Terry Moore From the person who brought us Strangers in Paradise, Echo, and more recently Rachel Rising, comes Motor Girl, TerryRead More